My body trembled so violently that I feared the guard walking before me might hear the faint chattering of my teeth. Though I did my utmost to conceal it.
He, however, continued onward with remarkable precision, his steps steady and unhurried, neither hesitant.
I, on the other hand, followed closely behind him, doing my utmost to keep my composure, though my eyes wandered uneasily over every corner we passed.
My hands had already grown cold and my fingers remained tightly clasped before me.
This was the second... no, the third time in all my lives that I had entered the Westwond underground dungeon.
The thought alone sent a chill through me, for there's never been a pleasant memory of this place, nor had I ever imagined that I would willingly-unwillingly return to it after everything.
It was a vast labyrinth beneath the mansion, fashioned with clean grey walls built from smooth stone that were maintained with care. It has narrow passages branching away in different directions and heavy doors set into the walls at intervals.
Guards stood at nearly every corner we passed, stationed with such rigid discipline.
Some watched us silently, while others exchanged brief greetings with my escort guard before their eyes inevitably wandered toward me.
Their eyes would linger for a moment upon my small figure with unmistakable surprise.
None bothered to ask questions however and none dared delay us, so I merely lowered my gaze and continued walking, grateful they weren't curious enough.
I'd be ashamed to admit what led me to be here.
This was the place where criminals who had trespassed or committed offenses against the Westwond estate were confined until the proper legal officers arrived to take them into custody.
Some remained here for days. Others stayed far longer, depending upon the severity of their offenses.
They would be subjected to punishments within these very walls.
It was also the place to which I had been thrown into in my former lives because of the anger I had provoked within the Westwond family through my reckless and foolish deeds.
These very depths.
I had suffered punishment here.
Died twice, and suffered through every humiliation that had been heaped upon me.
Yet, I made a promise to myself that this life would be different,
And somehow, after everything I had done to escape that fate, I had returned once again.
In this third life.
I released a slow breath.
Was fate truly mocking me?
I drew my arms closer to myself, trying desperately to silence the thoughts rising within me.
Loud shouts echoed through the passages from a distance, followed by the occasional clatter of metal.
I had grown considerably stronger in spirit perhaps after everything I had encountered, but even a hardened mind could not remain entirely unmoved by the sounds.
They still sent an unpleasant shiver through me.
We passed several more guards, each offering my escort a brief greeting before returning to their station.
Their gazes always returned to me afterward, and I could hardly blame them for their curiosity. If I were in their position, I would probably have wondered why I was here.
Eventually, the guard led me toward a comparatively noiseless section.
A heavy door stood before us, and when I saw it, my steps faltered despite myself.
This was it.
The moment when I would have to entrust my fate to whatever Providence had chosen for me.
The guard glanced sideways at me, and I caught the look before he turned away.
I didn't linger on it and instead forced myself to swallow the sudden dryness in my throat.
From yesterday until this very morning, I had attempted everything within my ability to locate Albert.
I had searched, waited, and even hoped that by some fortunate accident I might encounter him somewhere upon the estate.
But that dimwit had vanished to thin air.
By now, I had abandoned all hope of finding him.
I was alone.
There was no one who could tell me how these creatures were fed, and certainly no one who could guarantee that I would survive the task.
I drew in a long breath, trying to gather what little courage remained within me.
I had survived death itself twice before.
Surely I could survive feeding a few hounds.
... Right?
The guard pushed open the door.
I followed him inside.
Wait, I believed we had finally arrived. But it seems not.
The chamber beyond was spacious, and empty, with another passage extending farther ahead.
I stared in disbelief, then looked at the guard, silently asking whether he intended to lead me still deeper into this wretched underground maze.
He did.
My heart sank.
So this door had merely been an entrance to another section of the dungeon.
Wonderful.
Just when I always thought we had reached the end, the guard would take another corner, then lead us to another passage.
The farther we went, the more my imagination tormented me with dreadful possibilities.
How deep was this place?
Were they keeping the beasts beneath the foundations of the earth itself?
I found myself wondering whether the Westwond hounds were truly so dangerous that an entire labyrinth had been constructed around them.
Perhaps they were enormous. Or rather, they possessed fangs like wolves.
No, perhaps it's because they were trained to tear apart anyone who approached without permission.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.
The more I guessed , the worse my imagination became.
At last, after what felt like an eternity, the guard finally stopped.
I looked ahead.
And immediately regretted possessing eyes. My breath caught instantly at the scene.
Those were not hounds.
Those were monsters!
Five enormous creatures occupied the spacious chamber beyond the bars.
They possessed the shape of dogs, though only in the broadest sense of the word. Their bodies were far larger than any hound I had ever seen.
Their powerful limbs were covered in coarse fur, their jaws lined with frighteningly sharp teeth-that became fully visible the moment their attention settled upon us.
All five turned their heads.
Their eyes fixed upon me rather, then they bared their teeth.
I nearly stopped breathing.
These could not possibly be called hounds.
Even monsters would not have been a more suitable description.
Each creature stood within a spacious enclosure surrounded by thick iron bars.
Chains were fastened along portions of the chamber, while large feeding bowls rested upon the floor.
The guard lifted his firearm and struck the iron bars sharply with its metal end.
Clang!
The sound rang throughout the chamber. At once, the beasts ceased snarling.
One by one, they lowered themselves to the floor and sat.
I stared dumbfoundedly.
They had obeyed him so instantly. It indicates they were very intelligent at some scale.
That realization didn't comfort me one bit. If anything, it frightened me even more.
Intelligent monsters were considerably worse than foolish ones.
I was going to die, I was absolutely going to be eaten alive!
I swallowed hard and glanced at the guard. His eyes rested upon my trembling little figure with an expression that appeared almost pitying.
A thought struck suddenly. Perhaps I could use that. My heart fluttered with hope.
Perhaps if he pitied me enough, he would take one look at my pathetic little body and decide that feeding these creatures was simply too cruel.
So I straightened slightly.
Then I widened my eyes.
A little more, then still wider.
I raised one hand toward my chest and allowed my lower lip to tremble ever so faintly, presenting what I considered the most pitiful expression I could possibly manage.
Please.
Please understand. I am small, a delicate creature.
I am entirely unsuitable for being devoured by monsters.
Surely that would work..
The guard stared at him and for several moments, neither of us moved.
Then his eyes seemed to redden slightly.
My heart leapt instantly. It was working! I nearly smiled, blowing my cover!
Suddenly he shook his head. Then a deep frown settled upon his face, and the pity in his expression vanished.
My own expression collapsed.
Apparently, my performance had failed.
I sighed inwardly. What a shame.
We had hardly spoken since leaving the surface. I had not wished to speak with him, and he had shown no desire to converse with me either. Unfortunately, this left me with no idea how I was actually expected to perform my duties.
The beasts continued watching me.
Every movement I made seemed to draw their attention, their eyes following me with unnerving precision.
Almost as if they were wary of me.
And I could see hunger in their eyes.
As though they were waiting for the slightest opportunity to tear through the bars and devour me.
Why did they look so hungry?
Did the Westwond family not feed them regularly?
Surely they did.
Then why were they staring at me as though I were the finest meal they had ever seen?
I swallowed.
Surely fate could have chosen another victim.
At last, the guard spoke.
"Wait here. I shall fetch their food, and then you may begin feeding them."
My eyes widened.
Remain here?
I stared at him as though he had just informed me that I was to spend the afternoon conversing pleasantly with five starving monsters.
Remain here?
Alone? With them?
Absolutely not!
The moment he turned, I hurried after him.
I did not even think and reached out my hand toward his arm.
He stopped.
And behind us, the beasts began snarling.
My hand immediately lowered.
The creatures seemed to have interpreted my sudden movement as a threat, and their bodies began to shift restlessly behind the bars.
I shrank back at once, staring at them with wide eyes before turning toward the guard.
"I... perhaps we should go together."
My voice came out far more pitifully than I intended.
"You cannot possibly leave me here alone with these... hounds." I nearly called them monsters.
Fortunately, I corrected myself before the word escaped.
He said nothing.
I hurried to continue.
"I promise I shall not be a hindrance. It is merely a matter of fetching their food, is it not? Please do not leave me here alone with them."
I pointed nervously toward the enclosure.
"What if they break through those bars and devour me?"
The guard glanced toward the beasts.
At once, they lowered their heads and sat obediently.
He looked back at me. A sigh escaped him. "Very well."
Relief nearly brought my knees to the floor.
He moved to the side, and I immediately attached myself to him as closely as possible, keeping pace at his side as though he were a meat shield.
We soon reached another door, and I discovered that my determination to remain beside him had created scarcely enough room for both of us to pass.
I pressed myself against the wall, attempting to squeeze through while remaining as close to him as possible, until the poor boy was forced to shift sideways so that I could get past.
He glanced at me.
I lowered my head in embarrassment.
Thank you.
I did not say the words aloud, but I hoped my expression conveyed them.
We continued onward for some time until a dreadful smell began creeping into the passage.
I wrinkled my nose.
Then I covered it with my hand.
What in the heavens was that?
The stench grew stronger with every step, thick and foul enough to make my stomach churn.
I glanced around anxiously until we entered another chamber, and there, upon several tables, lay piles of raw meat.
I stared in horror.
Some of it appeared to have been sitting there for quite some time.
The smell was dreadful!
Absolutely dreadful!
I nearly retched.
Was this what those creatures ate? No wonder they were so terrifying.
A number of guards were gathered around the tables, placing portions of the meat into thick metal buckets.
And none of them seemed particularly troubled by the stench.
Several noticed our arrival.
One of them approached my escort guard. They exchanged a few words.
Then the second guard glanced at me.
His eyes travelled from my face to my small frame, then returned to my escort.
He leaned closer and whispered something.
I could not hear a single word.
Nor did I particularly care. I was far too occupied with attempting not to breathe.
After a short while, the guard returned with several buckets. Three in total.
And I stared in surprise.
Was all of that truly intended for those five creatures?
One of the guards picked up a bucket and suddenly extended it toward me.
I looked at him.
Then at the bucket.
Then back at him.
Was he serious? Did he genuinely expect me to carry that?
I forced a smile. But seeing as I had been the one who insisted upon accompanying my escort.
Therefore, I could hardly complain now.
Perhaps it was not as heavy as it looked.
I reached for the handle—
—But the instant my fingers closed around it, the bucket descended straight to the floor with a heavy clang.
Clang—
I froze.
And the room went silent. Every head in the room turned toward me.
My face burned in embarrassment as I stared at the bucket.
This was not merely heavy.
This was dead weight!
It was heavier than anything I had ever attempted to carry!
The guards exchanged glances before one of them shook his head, evidently recognizing that I was utterly incapable of carrying the burden.
He picked it up effortlessly.
I released a silent breath of gratitude.
At least they weren't forcing me to carry it.
Two guards followed us, each carrying the remaining buckets with considerably more ease than I could have managed.
I glanced at the enormous quantity of meat as we departed.
How much did these creatures eat?
Were they not being fed excessively?
Perhaps the Westwond family was determined to keep them fat enough that they would never bother escaping.
Then again, considering the size of their teeth, perhaps their appetites truly were that monstrous.
I decided that I did not care.
As long as I was not the meat being offered to them, the precise quantity was of little concern to me.
We began the journey back toward the hounds' chamber.
My small figure remained almost entirely hidden beside the three grown men, making me appear less like a servant and more like a particularly unfortunate child who had somehow wandered into the wrong portion of the estate.
I kept my eyes lowered and my steps quick.
We had nearly reached the section where the beasts were confined when suddenly—
A voice drifted through the passage. "Hold on."
A familiar voice. A very familiar voice.
My entire body went rigid and my heart nearly leapt from my chest in excitement.
And in that instant, all the fear I had felt since entering the dungeon seemed to vanish.
Albert.
Albert was here.
For the first time that day, I could have embraced a boy simply because he existed.
How wonderfully, desperately, gloriously unfortunate that I had fallen in love with Albert at that very moment.
Fate had finally shown me a fragment of mercy.
The novel is getting a huge update because a webtoon adaptation is coming! So stay tuned!